The Finest Timepiece: Seiko Astron

This is a sponsored post. Seiko paid me to write this article for their #AstronElite campaign. However, I actually used and lived with this watch, and they let me come up with my own conclusions and opinions. I have to say all this mumbo jumbo for the lawyers and whatnot. Now that we got that out of the way, here’s some stuff about the Seiko Astron.

Wearing a watch is important. Remember Rule 19? Watches and cufflinks are two pieces of man jewelry that will never go out of style or favor. A well-crafted timepiece is not only something reliable that you can count on during your day, but it makes for something that will outlive you by decades and get passed down in the family. The Seiko Astron is that watch.

I have two kinds of watches in my closet: the beaters and the slick luxury watches. The beater watches are your typical workhorse field watches that are meant for taking a beating. The luxury watches are for when I need to put a tie on and rip it up in the courtroom during my lawyer job. The Seiko Astron is one of those watches that commands a room, exudes success, and is a technological marvel. By no means am I saying that you should be materialistic and buy a watch just to “exude success,” but when you’re hired to win, having a flawless watch certainly garners confidence.

I know you might be rolling your eyes and thinking, “Okay Mr. Fancypants, what makes this so great?” First and foremost, this is an amazing piece of engineering. The Seiko Astron is equipped with a GPS receiver, so if you give it the command, it will pick up on satellites flying in outer space and automatically set itself to the timezone you’re in. What? That is amazing. Even if you’re thinking, “Yeah, so what? It takes 2 seconds to set my watch when I get off the plane,” you have to admit that is kind of amazing technology. In a world full of digital gadgets and gizmos, this watch blends the old school analog with the new-ish school GPS… and that’s awesome.

Secondly, you might have heard of solar-powered watches, right? That’s cool… but the Seiko Astron is powered by all forms of light–artificial or natural. You can sit in an office and charge your watch. This thing is completely self-sustaining, no matter the weather or setting. This means that you can go anywhere in the world, inside or outside, and your watch will always be accurate and running. That’s pretty cool.

Third, the profile of this watch is surprisingly slim. It’s not paper thin, mostly because of the mechanical and engineering impossibilities, but I expected the watch to be a lot thicker in person. The weight is unobtrusive, and it doesn’t feel like you’re wearing a GPS receiver on your wrist all day. The design of the dials is pretty complex, and I tend to like both totally simple watch face designs, as well as really complex–like this one. It makes me feel like I’m in a submarine or something.

This is an absolutely gorgeous watch. The biggest downside is… it will cost you a over two G’s. Yowza. These serial-numbered watches aren’t for everyone, that’s for sure, but that’s what makes them an exclusive and unique timepiece that will have that in-person gravitas. I love this watch, and so will my kid once I pass it down. Shoot, I might even choose to get buried in it. The Seiko Astron is by far the nicest watch I’ve ever personally worn, and it will always have that spot in my heart.

What do you think of the Seiko Astron watch? Where would you travel with it? Give your comments below.